Hunting boat

ABSTRACT

A low-profile hull without substantial vertical surfaces conforms substantially to the body of an occupant in a reclining position and can also accommodate the occupant in a sitting position. The hull has a convexo-concave bottom which slopes upwardly at the stern and a convexo-concave deck which is coextensive with the bottom and is provided amidships with an opening for the occupant. The deck also has blisters for the occupant&#39;&#39;s feet, and grooves serving as gun rests. Fillers of buoyant material are provided in the bow, stern and amidships, and the stern filler is recessed to form storage compartments. The hull is covered with camouflage material permanently attached as by gluing to all above water surfaces of the hull.

United States Patent Ernst 1 1 Feb. 1,1972

[54] HUNTING BOAT [72] Inventor: Carl J. Ernst, PO. Box 221, Webb, Miss.

[22] Filed: July 16, 1970 211 Appl. No.: 55,315

[52] US. Cl ..9/5, 114/230 [58] Field of Search ..9/5, 6

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,651,785 12/1927 Ulrich ..9/5 335,190 2/1886 Hannum ..9/5

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 49,412 10/ 1 934 Denmark ..9/5

Primary ExaminerMi1ton Buchler Assistant ExaminerCarl A, Rutledge An0rney-Muns0n H. Lane and Munson H. Lane, Jr.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A low-profile hull without substantial vertical surfaces conforms substantially to the body of an occupant in a reclining position and can also accommodate the occupant in a sitting position. The hull has a convexo-concave bottom which slopes upwardly at the stern and a convexo-concave deck which is coextensive with the bottom and is provided amidships with an opening for the occupant. The deck also has blisters for the occupant's feet, and grooves serving as gun rests. Fillers of buoyant material are provided in the bow, stern and amidships, and the stern filler is recessed to form storage compartments. The hull is covered with camouflage material permanently attached as by gluing to all above water surfaces of the hull.

10 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures PATENTEU FEB I972 sum 1 or 2 R m w m W m W MW W FIG. 4.

ATTORNEY mm are SHEEI 2 (IF 2 INVENTOR CARL J. ERNST all ATTORNEY HUNTING BOAT This invention relates to new and useful improvements in hunting boats or blinds, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a simple, safe, durable and comfortable device which, as a boat in water or as a blind on land, can accommodate a single occupant in a substantially formfitting manner when the occupant is in a reclining position and in which the occupant may also assume a sitting position when desirable or necessary.

It is a further object to provide a hunting blind which can be hid in all changing terrain without tying, folding, nailing or stapling additional objects or material. As such, the hunting boat of the invention has a low-profile hull without substantial vertical surfaces which is especially shaped so as to be substantially formfitting and which has a convexo-concave bottom sloped upwardly at the stern for deployment of the boat at the shore. The deck of the hull is relatively flat so as to hold objects thereon by gravity; is coextensive with the bottom; and is provided with an opening for the occupant reclining or sealed on the bottom. The deck is formed with blisters to accommodate the occupants feet, and with grooves constituting convenient gun rests. Fillers of buoyant material are provided in the hull and recesses in one of the fillers provide storage compartments. The hull has open-ended vertical tubes to receive anchoring stakes or rope for typing two or more boats together. Camouflaging material such as rough textured, loose woven jute is permanently adhered as by gluing to above water surfaces of the hull. The low profile of the boat without substantial vertical surfaces permits the surfaces of the boat exposed to the sun to be in shadow.

With the foregoing more important object and features in view and such other objects and features which may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention will be understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

FIG. I is a perspective view showing the hunting boat of the invention in use;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the boat without the camouflage covering;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the boat;

FIG. 4 is a rear or stem end view, taken in the plane of the line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front or bow end view, taken in the plane of the line 5-5 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken in the plane of the line 6-6 in FIG. 2; but with the back rest lowered and with a reclining occupant shown in phantom;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view, taken in the plane of the line 77 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view, taken in the plane of the line 8-8 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view, taken in the plane of the line 9-9 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view, taken in the line l0 10 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view, taken in the plane of the line ll-ll in FIG. 3;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional detail, taken in the plane of the line 12-12 in FIG. 2 and showing the camouflage covering in position; and

FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic plan view, on a reduced scale, showing some of the possible groupings of the boats.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the hunting boat or blind in accordance with the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 15 and may be used either as a floating blind on water or as a blind on land, the same being simply constructed and easily portable from either environment to the other. The boat 15 has a low=prof|le =hull 16 which is preferably formed integrally, as by moulding, from glass fiber plastic material such as FIBERGLAS, for example. The hull is of minimum size especially shaped so as to accommodate a single occupant in a formfitting manner when the occupant is in a reclining position, although the occupant plane of the may also assume a seating position, if so desired. The hull I6 is characterized inthat it has a pointed bow 17, a convexo-concave bottom 18 and a convexo-concave deck 19, the deck being coextensive with the bottom 18 so that the hull is fully enclosed, except'for an opening 20 which is provided in the deck, substantially amidships, to accommodate the occupant 21 in either a sitting or reclining position, it being'understood that in either position the occupant rests on the concave bottom'of the hull and the weight of the occupant at what location effectively serves to stabilize the boat.

The hull 16 is particularly designed so that the vertical dimension is-in shadow. It will be observed that the convexoconcave deck 19 joins the convexo-concave bottom 18 without substantial interrnediately disposed vertical sidewalls. The deck 19 is formed with a relatively flat curve so that ob jects placed on the deck will be held there by gravity.

The deck 19 is also provided adjacent the bow 17 with a pair of transverselyspaced, upwardly projecting blisters 22 to receive the occupantstoes when the occupant is reclinging, as indicated at 21a in FIG. 10. The portion of the deck 19 between the opening 20 and the blisters 22 is formed with a pair of longitudinally extending grooves or channels 23 which constitute leftand right-hand gun tests. The opening 20 is not much larger than necessary to accommodate the occupants body and includes a relatively narrow aft region 20 which is merely wide enough to receive the occupants head when the occupant is reclining. A flat boardlike back and head rest 24 is removably positioned in the hull and includes a narrow upper portion which projects upwardly through the aft region 20 of the opening 20, as will be clearly apparent. The back and head rest 24 repositionedto permit an'occupant to recline in the boat is shown in phantom in FIG. 3.

As is best shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the bottom 18 of the hull is sloped upwardly at the stern, as at 180, thus permitting the boat to be deployed on a sloping bank or shore without increasing vertical exposure.

The hull is provided with fillers of buoyant material such as STYROFOAM or other expanded plastic resin. These fillers are located inside portions of the hull which are not occupied by the occupant, that is, a filler 25 in the bow 17, an elongated filler 26 at the underside of the deck 19 between the gun rests 23, and a filler 27 in the-stern. Opposite side portions of the filler 27 are. recessed to provide storage compartments 28 at the opposite sides of the region 20' of the opening 20.

As shown in FIG. 8, the opposite side portions of the hull adjacent the opening 20 are equipped with a pair of openended vertical tubular members 29 which extend between the bottom 18 and the deck,l9. Suitable T-shaped stakes 30 may be inserted into these tubular members vertically and driven into the river or lake bottom or into the ground, so as to anchor the [boat in a selected position or may be placed horizontally! as indicated by right stake in FIG. 8 to catch available brush or over a floating log to give added stability. A paddle 31, used forpropelling the boat, may be stowed in one side of the hull between the bottom 18 and one of the tubular members 29, as will be apparent from FIG. 8.

The portion of the hull which is exposed above the waterline is preferably provided with a covering or camouflage material 32 such as natural jute or burlap, which is preferably permanently adhered as by gluing to the above water surfaces of the hull.

It will be apparent that the boat of the invention is of simple and durable construction, it is safe in water, comfortable in. either the reclining or the sitting position of the occupant, and its camouflage covering effectively conceals the craft under all conditions of use, without any special preparation or use of special tools. The convexo-concave bottom afiords ample draft in water as well as easy positioning on soft ground, and the upwardly sloped stern facilitates deployment of the boat on sloping'banks. The low profile of the hull combines with the reclining position of the occupant to minimize vertical exposure, and the removable back rest may be easily adjusted for the occupants comfort in all positions from reclining to the sitting position.

If desired, two or more of the boats may be grouped together as exemplified in FIG. 13. The boats may be connected together side-by-side with simple U-shaped shafts 36 passed through the tubular members 29, and also by ropes 37 tied to suitable fittings 38 which are provided on the deck adjacent the bow and stem. Also, such fittings may be used for joining the boats together in tandem, as at 39. Thus, the individual boats may be used as modular components of a large blind having any number of boats grouped together in a desired pattern, usually for transportation by power source. The fittings 38 may be handles such as common trunk handles detachably secured to the hull as by screws. The member 39 is a fiat, elongated element extending from the head opening of the forward boat to between the toe blisters 22 of the rear boat.

What is claimed as new is:

l. A minimum size hunting boat having a low-profile hull which conforms substantially to the body of an occupant in a reclining position and can also accommodate the occupant in a sitting position, said hull being characterized in that it includes a pointed bow, a convexo-concave bottom which is sloped upwardly at the stern, and a convexo-concave deck which is coextensive with the bottom and is provided substantially amidships with an opening for an occupant disposed in the concavity of said bottom, said deck also being provided adjacent the bow with blisters to receive the toes of an occupant in a reclining position.

2. The boat as defined in claim 1 together with fillers of buoyant material provided in the bow in the stern of said hull and at the underside of said deck between said opening and said blisters.

3. The boat as defined in claim 3 wherein the buoyant filler in the stern of the hull is recessed to provide storage compartments at opposite sides of said opening.

4. The boat as defined in claim 1 together with a backrest removably positioned in said hull and projecting upwardly through said opening.

5. The boat as defined in claim 1 wherein said deck is provided in its upper surface forwardly of said opening with longitudinal grooves for securing and positioning a gun.

6. The boat as defined in claim 1 together with camouflage material of loosely woven jute material that changes color with change in moisture covering said hull.

7. The boat as defined in claim 6 wherein said camouflage material is permanently adhered to surfaces of said hull above the waterline.

8. The boat as defined in claim 1 together with open-ended substantially vertical tubular members extending between said bottom and said deck in the opposite side portions of the hull adjacent said opening.

9. The boat as defined in claim 8 together with T-shaped stakes inserted in said tubular members and engaging a fixed support for stabilizing said boat.

10. A pair of boats as defined in claim 8 located in side-byside position together with an inverted U-shaped bracket having parallel legs extending downwardly through adjacent open-ended vertical tubular members on said pair of boats to connect said boats together. 

1. A minimum size hunting boat having a low-profile hull which conforms substantially to the body of an occupant in a reclining position and can also accommodate the occupant in a sitting position, said hull being characterized in that it includes a pointed bow, a convexo-concave bottom which is sloped upwardly at the stern, and a convexo-concave deck which is coextensive with the bottom and is provided substantially amidships with an opening for an occupant disposed in the concavity of said bottom, said deck also being provided adjacent the bow with blisters to receive the toes of an occupant in a reclining position.
 2. The boat as defined in claim 1 together with fillers of buoyant material provided in the bow in the stern of said hull and at the underside of said deck between said opening and said blisters.
 3. The boat as defined in claim 3 wherein the buoyant filler in the stern of the hull is recessed to provide storage compartments at opposite sides of said opening.
 4. The boat as defined in claim 1 together with a backrest removably positioned in said hull and projecting upwardly through said opening.
 5. The boat as defined in claim 1 wherein said deck is provided in its upper surface forwardly of said opening with longitudinal grooves for securing and positioning a gun.
 6. The boat as defined in claim 1 together with camouflage material of loosely woven jute material that changes color with change in moisture covering said hull.
 7. The boat as defined in claim 6 wherein said camouflage material is permanently adhered to surfaces of said hull above the waterline.
 8. The boat as defined in claim 1 together with open-ended substantially vertical tubular members extending between said bottom and said deck in the opposite side portions of the hull adjacent said opening.
 9. The boat as defined in claim 8 together with T-shaped stakes inserted in said tubular members and engaging a fixed support for stabilizing said boat.
 10. A pair of boats as defined in claim 8 located in side-by-side position together with an inverted U-shaped bracket having parallel legs extending downwardly through adjacent open-ended vertical tubular members on said pair of boats to connect said boats together. 